Final Video

Here is my 

FINAL MOVIE

Chapter 15: Stealing?

All quotes appear in Jason B. Ohler. Digital Storytelling in the Classroom: New Media Pathways to Literacy, Learning, and Creativity (p. 199). Kindle Edition. If it interests you, pick up a copy today!!!

"Be perpetually paranoid"
I never like advice that encourages paranoia.  I would say, "always error on the side of copyrights"


Bottom line: Show respect, do your homework, follow the fair-use laws as best as you know them, and ask for legal help when you need it. You'll do fine.
Ahh.  that's better.  Let's relax.  I think students should make their own work.  Teaching them about copyright law is a good way to promote originality.  Maybe they will record their Dad's band for the music if they can't steal the lastest Jay-Z off the internet. 



• Music, video, animation: Students can use 10% or 30 seconds of songs, movies, and other works, whichever is shorter.
 • Words: Students can use 10% or up to 1,000 words from a text, whichever is smaller.
 • Illustrations, photos, graphics: This is more vague. Students can use no more than five images from one artist; they can use 10% or 15 works from a collection, whichever is smaller.

I would show this to my students (with a citation.) Very clear.  If you are using more than this amount, you are not being creative enough.  

Very interesting chapter.  I think Ohler did a great job making a gray area as clear as possible. 

I made my own music and sound effects for my videos this semester, but I know that everyone doesn't make music.  I think music is the hardest to get and where most of the the desire to appropriate comes from.  I don't know what to do except use those websites that have royalty free music. 

Personally, I like that anything I post on the internet has implied copyright.  I did not know that. 

Video Update

I finished the opening animation sequence. I drew a bus, school, and children.  Then I import into Motion 5 and animated the drawings.  Finally I imported that into iMovie.  I took awhile and includes most of the production.  I am working backwards by doing production first because I wanted to.  Sometimes you have to eat dessert first. The other reason is I am still writing my narration, which is the most important part since my video is meant to be persuasive.

Chapter 14: Media Grammer for Teachers

Chapter 14 comments:

all excepts from: Jason B. Ohler. Digital Storytelling in the Classroom: New Media Pathways to Literacy, Learning, and Creativity (p. 178). Kindle Edition. 

"But rest assured that unless you actually create your own media, and do so paying particular attention to how to most effectively engage and convince your audience, then any appreciation you have of media's persuasive abilities will be shallow and theoretical at best."

I don't know if I fully agree with this statement, but I do think that creating persuasive material helps one understand how persuasion works in media.  This might help students think critically about commercials,  political ads, the news, and other modern persuaders. 


effects should "support the story."

I might be guilty of adding effects for the sake of effects but I do try and make it fit.  I was told by a teacher back in undergrad that every effect should push the story forward not just look cool.  I guess I  agree because some effects could may add to the esthetics or add an artistic edge but if they don't "fit" it is just distracting.  

The rest of the chapter...

This is where Ohler is saying all aspects of the video should help push the message or point of the video. Don't add superflous items.  He goes into detail but I think this chapter should be shorter.  Is this cinematography or storytelling.  Teachers are more interesting in if the student can effectively tell a story, not if their camera angles were interesting.  However, its a book and he's trying to leave no stone unturned. Good for him. 

Chapter 13: The DTS Toolbox

Chapter 13: The DTS Toolbox


Toolbox

• First, I want to say that writing about the tools needed for technology in a book is very difficult because it will change by the time someone reads it.  Tools are, however, a large barrier for teachers.  How will they be able to find the latest tools... maybe keeping a blog of new tools would cover this. 

• The first item he mentions is computers running OX 4 or XP...teachers are not going to buy computers for their classrooms, that's not realistic.  They might write a grant, but they are not going to buy computers.  In the computer category, what you have is what you have. 

• I don't think you need a scanner if you have a digital camera.  I am doing a DST assignment and we took pictures of our student art and imported that into iMovie. 

• for software, I would consider the free online apps wevideo and Pixoria.

• I bought these headsets for cheap from amazon.  They will break, but are really cheap compared to others and sound quality is fine. 

Video

preliminary storyboard using powerpoint --> iMovie 

Chapters 11- 12

Chapter 11: The Media Production Process Phase 1

“Tell a story that is strengthened rather than weakened by the media they use”

I think the media he is talking about is film, but inside of film there are different medias. Will I used drawings? Will I use real people? Will I use sock puppets? What type of audio? . The media used can add or subtract from a story.  I think media is underrated in the decision-making. Theses decisions have the lasting influence on the effectiveness of your film.

I do like visuals.  I would like most of my students time spent on the first step of this process.

How many teachers have all of these?

I found most of this chapter to be redundant and repetitive.  We already went over the story development process.  He should have used a real classroom example of a teacher taking their students through phase I.

Chapter 12:  Media Production Stages II-V

“I recently saw a story in which a student displayed the word "confusion" while the narrative was talking about being emotionally and intellectually lost.”

I like tips like this one.  I think students should mix video/drawings/words or any visual that helps bring out the narrative.  Anything is better than boring.

This chapter was better because this is the part (production) where teachers will incur the most problems.

Suggestions like contacting local TV station to air student videos and “get a wireless mike” are unrealistic for most teachers.  If he wants to cast a wide net with this book he needs give more practical solutions.

Media elements portion was nice with good exploration of different options available.  Like I said before, keep all your media options open and don’t be afraid to mix-media.

Reference: 

Jason B. Ohler. Digital Storytelling in the Classroom: New Media Pathways to Literacy, Learning, and Creativity 

Video:  Here is a video I made about a website I enjoy.

Chapter 9 -10

Chapter 9

I think he should rename the treasure map story map to the peaks and valleys treasure map.

Teachers can use story to grade videos.  The student basically outline for you all the parts of the rubric in a story map.

The story spine below is exactly what I was looking for.  I am having my students write their own cautionary folk tales.  These sentence starters will be great for the lower students. If I change the last 2 “because of that” it will work. I am going to have them draw the artwork.  Then they will narrate a slideshow in imovie. Also, I think if they start with moral first it will make for more coherent stories.

Chapter 10

This chapter was interesting. The whole time I was wondering, “What makes a good story if all the rules can be broken?”Although he never directly addresses this, Ohler does give some clues while on the subject of the train video.  He writes, “Like a powerful documentary, the story core plays out within the minds of the viewers, who transform as a result of watching it.” So, maybe a good story transforms the viewer in some way?

Jason B. Ohler. Digital Storytelling in the Classroom: New Media Pathways to Literacy, Learning, and Creativity (p. 116). Kindle Edition.

MASH-up

I ripped one of our classmates' video of her dog's shadow and set it against an excerpt from the three little pigs. It's weird. Enjoy.

Chptr 7 -8

All quotes from Jason B. Ohler. Digital Storytelling in the Classroom: New Media Pathways to Literacy, Learning, and Creativity (p. 106). Kindle Edition.

CHPTR 7

• Universality is a particularly important concept in the world of DST,

This makes me think of the "everyman" character that Tom Hanks has perfected. It is always appealing and accessible. I think the everyman is a useful tool when the point you want to make is about how something effects us all. If the main character in Cast Away was an eccentric or outlier, the effects of the isolation on the viewer would not have been as powerful. 

• Learn the rules, break the rules, then make the rules.

There is such a thing as earning the right to break the rules. All the great artists broke the rules. Usually, it was after playing within the rules. When I was in Madrid, I saw Picasso's early work. As a young person he could paint realism very well. He slowly devolved his art after mastering the classic way. If he was crapy painter and then made cubes, nobody would have cared. There's always the really bright or imaginative student who wants the break the rules. We could tell he/she that after they play within the rules they can do it their way.

CHPTR 8

• Kohlberg's "Stages of moral development" (1984)

I created a little kid version of this for my class. It was a smartboard file with 5 levels. I had the students place themselves on the chart where they thought their morality was at that point in time. I was amazed at the accuracy. The students with poor behavior put themselves lower and said things like, "i just try not to get caught." or "I don't behave when no one is looking because there is no reward." No one was brave enough to put themselves on the top. The highest level was "I do the right thing when no one is looking." Even though some belonged.

• "To help students grow through their stories."and from CHPTER 7" Powerful experiences become powerful stories when we reflect on how the experiences changed us."

I have been thinking about student presentations in general lately. What are we assessing? Whats the point of having them say things out loud? Sometimes we think regurgitation of information is somehow learning. It is important to learn concepts, but real personnel growth comes from "how does this information I learned change me or my views." I think this is true because it marries the ideas of content with emotion. We remember and value learning when it is tied with our emotions. Reflecting on how new knowledge effects us makes the new knowledge emotional. I heard this once..."you won't remember what a teacher taught you but you will remember how they made you feel."

Here is my video.  Read the epilogue at the bottom after viewing the video. 



I made this video because drinking out of the carton is gross.  Yet, when no one is around, I do it.  This video is an effort to break the habit and be the person I want to be, who is slightly less gross.

Chpt 4, 5, & 6

All quotes from...

            Jason B. Ohler. Digital Storytelling in the Classroom: New Media Pathways to Literacy,      Learning, and Creativity (p. 80). Kindle Edition. 


Chapter 4

• "Did students demonstrate that they understood the material? Did they critically assess the material, draw original conclusions from it, and complete the other objectives that were set out in the goals of the project?" Let's not forget this is all about understanding the material.  If not, then we are wasting our time. 

• "I recommend that you promise students a performance or publication venue at the outset, largely because the quality of student work improves when they know that people beyond their classrooms will see it." Beyond their classrooms could mean online.  I could put it on our class website, however, no one but us ever visits the site.  Place tangible art in the hallway is always seen by many but where do we display DST so more people can see it?

• Have students self-assess their projects. Never have done this before.  Interesting idea.  Maybe have them fill out a rubric and then compare theirs to the teachers grade.  Give them a chance to argue their side. 

Chapter 5

• how people change, learn, and grow because of the challenges and opportunities in their lives. There are stories where the main character doesn't learn anything or learns an inappropriate lesson.  These are cautionary tales. 
• I defined media literacy as the ability to recognize, evaluate, and apply the methods of media persuasion. Is the ability to quickly, critically analyze the value of media the new valuable skill for today's students.   

Chapter 6

• The VPS is more interesting than the beginning, climax, resolution story element map we are all used to by now.  I like the transformation as the central element.  The example of the tech guy story with no transformation was funny to me because the story sucked and I often tell a story like that and wonder why it sucked.  Also, I tend to tell stories starting with the end and then going to the beginning.  I heard that was a "guy" thing.  I think the end is not the intriguing part. It's the transformation.  Starting with the end garners interest. Now the person wants to hear how it happened. 

Here is the link to the youtube page.  

Intro Movie and Ch. 2-3

I created my video using "motion" and "imovie." I made the initial animation with "motion." I have to admit, I used to produced animations before I switched careers.  I don't have all the fancy software I used to but "motion" is a relatively cheap alternative to "adobe aftereffects" which is expensive.  The rest of the video contains some still frames and some video put together in "imovie." Lastly, I did a voiceover to explain my story.  The process of making this was cathartic for me.  You will see why...

Chapter 2:

• The video made in imovie with student's original art in as the backdrop and their voice as the narration sounds like a great project for 4th grade combining "real" art with digital tools.  Great idea and easy to accomplish.  My students need to work on communication skills like sequencing and explaining ideas clearly, so I am going to try this soon. 
• Active viewing vs. passive viewing was interesting for me.  I usually will have students present and all my attention is on the presenter while the audience is silent, yet passive. Active viewing can add more engagement and not waste everyones time.  It can turn the act of listening to presentations into a lesson.  
• This book was written in 2008.  The first "imovie" I had was 2009.  Now I am using "imovie" 2011 and its incredibly easy.  Any student (3rd grade and up) with a camera and imovie can easily create a movie with decent production.  To me, this puts all the focus on the story.  Anyone can produce a movie, but only good storytellers can move us. 

Chapter 3

• I believe new Common Core standards include student multimedia presentations. 
• For me, clear rubrics are the only way to evaluate digital stories or any sort of projects.   
• "Having students write for media is an effective way of slipping writing in under the radar."  While I don't like the notion that writing is so horrible it has to be slipped in, for my students, who having communicative disabilities, writing is extremely stressful and frustrating.  Anything that makes it more fun and takes the focus off their writing might allow them to relax and let the mistakes/editing process happen without getting upset.